Cat & Mouse
by ravenslight
Summary: One long week, two disguises, and a wealth of desire help Hermione and Cormac blow off some steam with a little game of cat and mouse. Cormione


**A/N:** A silly little thing prompted by LadyKenz347 to help work through a writer's block. Alpha creds to my lovely prompter; any errors that remain are my own as this is unbeta'd.

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**Cat & Mouse**

Her hair was shorter than she was used to.

It was a silly thing to focus on, but the way it brushed her shoulders sent a shiver racing down her spine. The interwoven calligraphy of the Ministry symbol embroidered near the collar of her shirt scratched over her breast as she reached for her glass of whisky. _This was ridiculous._

No one knew it was her, not with the bobbed blonde hair and sensible Ministry uniform. She'd ditched the Minister robes in her office, pulling her get-up from an infrequently-used stock closet in between the Magical Creatures and Magical Transportation departments. It worked, and she breathed a deep sigh of relief at the measure of anonymity it afforded her, toasting it with a deep sip.

Around her, voices murmured in the dim light of the Leaky Cauldron, reminding her just how alone she was sitting at the bar. A long pull of whisky settled in Hermione's stomach as she eyed the clock hidden in the shadowed recesses of the bar. Ten more minutes and she'd go home.

It'd been a long week—a long, _tedious _week full of ridiculous paperwork that should've been completed months ago instead of being stuck in the continuous loop of bureaucratic nonsense that was the Ministry. And she had intended to celebrate its end with a nice glass of whisky neat and _maybe _a not-so-neat wizard.

But none of them were catching her eye. There was the typical crowd, bedraggled and bleary-eyed going through the motions of feigning relaxation and drowning themselves in their umpeenth glass to numb their intense melancholy. There was the group of recent Hogwarts graduates in the back of the Leaky that were a little too loud, still sporting the bright-eyed optimism of youth. And then there were the loving, paired off couples that sat in dark booths and caressed hands on tabletops and beneath skirts.

Sweeping her hair over her shoulder, Hermione turned, tucking the Ministry-issue blouse back into the band of her pencil skirt, reaching for her glass to drain it and leave—

But a warm hand closed over hers, and she turned slowly, peering up between lowered lids at the newcomer.

Tall, brunette, and cut with long, lean strips of muscle, the interloper smiled down at her, white teeth gleaming in the low light of the bar. The open collar of his oxford was framed by his loosened tie and showed off a smattering of dark curls, and Hermione's breath caught in her throat.

"Leaving so soon?" His voice rumbled between them as he released her hand with a caress that was far too intimate for the setting, sending flutters through her stomach. "Liam Windsor."

Hermione allowed her own smile to unfurl over her lips, silenting apologising to her best friend in primary. "Maisie Jameson. Pleasure." She dipped her head at her glass, quelling the satisfied smirk. Maybe tonight wouldn't be a loss after all. "No reason to stay as far as I can tell." It was a dare, and she watched with a warm rush of anticipation as he pulled a stool closer to her.

He crooked his head at the bartender, allowing silence to settle between them while the man behind the counter filled their glasses, and then said, "I could give you a few."

Hermione played along, leaning into his space and propping her chin up on her hand, suddenly grateful that she'd loosened the top two buttons of her blouse before entering earlier when his gaze dipped to her exposed cleavage with a feral glint. "Go on, then."

Turning on his stool, Liam effortlessly sliding an arm around her waist and drawing her closer to him, his body heat radiating through the expensive fabric of his trousers. "See that man over there?" He tilted his head at an innocuous looking man, close to her age if she had to guess, with a shock of black hair staring them down for a moment before looking away. "He was on his way over here earlier."

She hadn't been expecting that, and she flittered her gaze up at him. "And?"

His eyes shot to a booth in the far back of the bar, the silhouette of a couple kissing heavily just visible in the lamp glow. "I'm sure he'd have liked to do that with you." His thumb dipped deliciously on her lower back, a riot of goosebumps chasing themselves over her arms. "But I don't think you're like that."

He leaned away suddenly, leaving Hermione bereft of his warmth as she fought the sudden shot of desire through her core. Swallowing sharply to dislodge the knot in her throat, she responded, "And what makes you think that?"

It was a game; she was a mouse, and he the cat. And she _desperately _wanted him to catch her.

The amber liquor brought out flecks of green in his bright blue eyes as he took a deep drink, his gaze intense over its rim. "You're observant, I'll give you that. Carefully cataloguing every person in here as you absently sipped your drink." His gaze ran over her body, lingering on her tightly crossed legs. "He could be fun for a quick romp, but I think you need more—want more than that."

Of its own volition, her tongue darted out to wet her lips. "And you think you can give me that? _More_?" Another swig of her liquor warmed her, strong enough to steel her nerves as she leaned forward, her gaze flickering to his mouth.

His eyes flared, fire flickering in their cerulean depths, and he tossed back the last of his drink. "Only one way to find out, isn't there?"

Without a second thought, she finished her own drink and slid from her stool, the clatter of coins on the counter accompanying her departure. Keeping her back ramrod straight and chin tilted up, she stalked to the door, the heat of his gaze boring a hole in her back.

She managed a handful of measured steps out of the Leaky before he was on her.

Strong arms wrapped around her, one securing her tightly to his chest as the other buried itself in her hair. A low groan slipped from her throat as she pulled him around the corner, pressing herself up on her toes to seal her lips to his as her back kissed the cool bricks of the alleyway.

Windsor was a demanding kisser, taking everything she gave. When she sunk her teeth into his lip, he rewarded her with a strangled moan. This was what she needed, what she wanted, and when he began to kiss his way down her neck, her eyes rolled back with a satisfied sigh.

Too soon, though, he pulled back, hands sliding down her sides and settling under her bum before he lifted her and wrapped her legs around his waist. Molten desire flickered through her, the length of him hard between them as he rocked against her. Through gritted teeth, she demanded, "McLaggen, bed. Now."

A low chuckle rumbled through him as he captured her earlobe between his teeth, bitting sharply before laving the pain away. "What do you think, Granger? More than a one-off?" He eased his weight against her, freeing his hands from beneath her bum and sliding them over her hips as he cancelled his glamour, familiar tousled blond hair cascading over his forehead. His fingertips danced over her ribcage, her breath stuttering in her throat when his thumbs settled beneath the swell of her breast. "That was a question—" nip of her throat, one hand palming her breast and tweaking her nipple through her blouse at her sharp exhalation "—that required an answer."

Merlin help her, this man would be the death of her. Her own glamour fell away as she whispered, "More than a one-off."

Her stomach dropped into a well desire at his salacious smile, absolutely captivating her as he stepped back and slid her down his body and set her feet on solid ground. Still holding tightly to her hips, he brought his lips to her ear. "Your place or mine?"

She laughed up into his blinding brilliance of his smile, rolling her eyes as desire still unfurled through her. Catching his left hand up in hers, she drug him away toward the Apparition point, the metal of their rings clinking together as she pulled him into another breathless kiss while they whirled away. "It's the same place, you prat."


End file.
